Inang Bayan
The Motherland
Michael Cerdinio
Joe Wang
Leo Yi
Mary Jade Farruggia
The Beginning
• First permanent settlement in the
Philippines in 1565
• Establishment of Spanish power and
religion
• The taga-bayan (Hispanized and civilized)
and the taga-bukid/bundok (savage
brutes)
• The Church’s extensive power
Christianization
• Native meets Christian in literature
• Whatever they didn’t suppress, they
Christianized
• “Though It Is Stormy and Dark” compiled
by friar Francisco Blancas de San Jose
• “The Sacred Passion of Jesus Christ Our
Lord” by Gaspar Aquino de Belen
First Half of 1800s
• The middle class
• “The Life Florante and Laura Went
through in the Kingdom of Albania”
(1838) by Francis co Baltazar (or Balagtas)
-Incorporate both native and foreign
-Less emphasis on Christian themes
Second Half of 1800s
• 1863 educational reform and its effect on the
middle class
• The intellectuals and the Reformation
Revolution (1872-1896)
• “Tough Me Not” by Jose Rizal
-Anti-Spanish attitudes and realism
• From reformation to revolution
• “The Ultimate Plea of the Philippines” by
Andres Bonifacio
Question
• Given the large role that Christianity had
in “civilizing” the Filipino masses and
literature, how would the Spanish
colonizers fare in controlling the islands if
religion wasn’t so prominent?
Mi último adiós
• Historical Context:
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Revolution in the air
Written before Rizal’s execution
• Dr. Jose Rizal:
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Nationalist, reformist, doctor, polymath, polygot, national hero
La Liga Filipina(Rizal)  Katipunan (Bonifacio)  Filipino First Republic (Aguinaldo)
• Analysis of poem:
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No problem dying for his country
Praises PI as land of greatness and beauty
The land and people have suffered much
“Farewell to all I love; to die is to rest.”
• Impact:
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Ignited the Filipino Revolution
Read on U.S. House floor
Led to Filipino Organic Act of 1902
• Questions:
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Given how important the factor of martyrdom is in the scheme of political and historical events
(along the lines of Rizal and MLK), how different would the impact of a poem praising the PI be if
Rizal were not executed?
What the Filipinos Should Know
Andres Bonifacio, 1896
• “The Filipinos, who in early times were governed by our true
countrymen before the coming of the Spaniards, were living in great
abundance and prosperity.”
• Describes their initial relationship with the Spanish as a blood oath,
one that was understood to be equal
• In increasingly bitter language, Bonifacio comments on the lack of
“tangible concession that has been bestowed upon our country in
exchange for what we have done”.
• Bonifacio explains how hurt the Filipinos are because of the actions
of the Spanish.
• He calls for Filipinos to see the reason in these wrongs done by the
Spanish, hoping that his people will again come together to realize
prosperity, pride and success through their own means for their
own needs, rather than those of the Spanish.
What the Filipinos Should Know
Andres Bonifacio, 1896
• Reason
– “Reason tells us that we cannot expect anything but
more sufferings…Reason tells us to be united in
sentiment, in thought, and in purpose.”
• Persuasive language
– “…they have blinded us and contaminated us with
their meanness of character and forcibly destroyed
the sanctity of our country’s customs.”
• Recount of history presents an emotionally
charged reminder and re-teaching of what has
happened
– “…now is the time for the Filipinos to know the
sources of their misfortune”
– Redefinition of the motherland during the peak of
revolution
What the Filipinos Should Know
Andres Bonifacio, 1896
• Bonifacio blames both the Filipinos and
the Spanish for the situation they are in
– Reason has been lost to many Filipinos
– Promises by Spain were not kept
Although Bonifacio doesn’t present any specific
historical events, what significance does his
narrative have in understanding the history of
these events in the Philippines?
The Final Cry of the Filipinas
Andres Bonifacio, 1896
• “Mother” is used to refer to Spain,
particularly in its role and position in the
Philippines.
• The poem describes the abuse of the
“Mother”, and how her “children” wish to
disown her and criticize her for her
mistreatment.
• The poem concludes with “farewells”
The Final Cry of the Filipinas
Andres Bonifacio, 1896
• Filipina=feminine
– Lumbera mentions the lack of female contribution to writing,
despite their involvement orally in literature. Giving the Filipina
the main voice is powerful.
• Mother/daughter relationship
• Emphasis on silence and obedience highlights oppression
• Religious references in the use of “Mother”, “Mother of
mercy”
• Lumbera: “Bonifacio’s poem, aiming to establish once and for
all the break from reformism, makes the daughter speak out
in renunciation of the ‘negligent and perfidious’ mother.”
What are some other possible reasons why Bonifacio used a female voice
to narrate this poem? How does a female voice, although told by a male,
change how we read this?
The Final Cry of the Filipinas
Andres Bonifacio, 1896
• Our view of Philippine literature to this
point has been male dominated.
– Bienvenido/Lumbera acknowledge this
– “It may be presumed without fear of contradiction that in
precolonial times, alongside the menfolk, women also
invented riddles, proverbs, songs, and tales. When the
printing press was introduced by the Spaniards…mysteriously
not a single poem or essay ever got attributed to a woman”
• Although not written by a woman, the
female perspective is important to our
understanding of the ‘motherland’.
The Final Cry of the Filipinas
Andres Bonifacio, 1896
• “The Tagalogs”
– Avoids the use of the word “Filipino/a”
– Defines a new cultural group (one Lumbera
states is associated with nationalism)
– Movement back toward the Motherland
What is the meaning of “final cry”? Consider
political and cultural implications.
Light and Darkness
• Emilio Jacinto (1875 – 1899)
– Filipino Revolutionary
• Overthrow Spain
– Katipunan; Kalayaan
– Series of articles on human rights, liberty,
equality, labor, government, and love of
country
– Written meant to be pondered/ demanded
attention
• Translated from Tagalog
Shiny Light and Bright Light
• Shiny Light (lies) vs. Bright Light (truth)
• Urge people to be wary of appearances
– “treachery and deceit seek the shiny so as not
to be revealed in the eyes of those who can
expose their ugliness; but beneficence and
pure love are naked, modest and show
themselves brightly to anyone’s gaze.”
• Nationalism and Empowerment
– “Will the Son of the Country, my brother,
learn lessons and find strength from past
woes and endured oppressions?”
Freedom
• Freedom + Morality = Human
• A “heavenly gift” and natural truth
– “The word Freedom rights new in the ears, and
many of your countrymen have not yet
understand its true import.”
• Powerful statement on freedom and a
critique on Filipino submission to “comfort”
– “whoever dares to topple and bring it down must
be put to death and burned to ashes”
– Compares the broken mentality of a caged bird to
“enslaved” Filipinos
– Will to power
Our Plea
• Poem by 9 women carrying allegorical
names
– Led by Victoria Laktaw
• Exposed atrocities committed by first
American “visiting forces”
– During Philippine-American War
• Translated from Tagalog
Our Plea
• Very strong voice and empowerment
– Anger, pride, nationalism
• “You, our beloved countrymen,/ Creatures of
Mars brave and true,/ Cower not in fear and finish
off/ These traitors until their death”
– Reciprocal Love
• “That which says that one’s love of country/ Is a
mother’s love for all her children”
• Motherland also being victim of US
colonial rape
– Understanding mothers’ grief
• Love your mothers (motherland)
– But not Bonifacio’s Mother (Spain)
Questions
• Regarding last week’s comment on
“nationalism” and “patriarchy,” how do
the articles and poem relate to that
complexity and duality of those words?
• How do you see the cultivation of
“nationalism” and “patriarchy” as
(relating to readings)?